Marshall Crenshaw
Fans who wore the grooves out of his 1982 debut, Marshall Crenshaw, may have felt let down by the Detroit-born singer-songwriter's erratic later efforts. The man who played Buddy Holly (in 1987's La Bamba) and emulated the icon's gift for writing sweet pop hooks has doled out bite-size treats—compared with his first pop feast and its signature tunes like "Someday, Someway" and "Cynical Girl." But after a five-year studio hiatus, Crenshaw is back with another mouthwatering banquet.
From the chugging twang of Hy Heath's "Who Stole That Train" to the giddy, buoyant melodies on "Starless Summer Sky," he sounds confident, relaxed and completely in control. (As well he should, since Crenshaw plays most of the instruments and produced the record himself.) Even his sense of humor has made a comeback, as on Grant Hart's jangly rocker "Twenty-Five Forty-One," about a rental house in which the tenants "had to keep the stove on all night/ So the mice wouldn't freeze." This record tells Crenshaw fans he's got the hunger once again. (Razor & Tie)
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